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Beth Paretta is a pioneering motorsports executive and team owner who made history as the first woman to lead a performance brand and motorsport division for a major automotive company, and later founded the first woman-owned, woman-forward team in INDYCAR history.

EARLY YEARS

Long before she became a trailblazer in the testosterone-soaked world of professional motorsports, Beth Paretta was a five-year-old girl who found something oddly hypnotic about watching cars hurtle around a track. “Racing was a comfort for me since I was about 5 years old,” she told The Henry Ford in an interview. “I found it weirdly soothing to watch, and I was mesmerized by it.”

While most kids her age were plastering their bedroom walls with pop stars and cartoon characters, young Beth had a slightly different aesthetic. “When I was growing up, I had pictures of a Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 959 on my wall next to Duran Duran,” she laughed, perfectly capturing the mix of ’80s girl and gearhead that would define her unique path into motorsports.

That early fascination never faded—it just evolved. Paretta pursued her education with the same focus she’d later bring to the racetrack, earning a Bachelor of Science in Broadcasting and Film from Boston University, followed by a Master of Business Administration from the University of Vermont. The combination would prove prescient: she understood both the spectacle and the business of speed.

OTHER INTERESTS

While Paretta’s professional life has been dominated by all things automotive and racing, she’s channeled her energy beyond team management into championing STEM education for girls through her racing initiatives. It’s not exactly a hobby—it’s a mission embedded into the DNA of her teams, designed to show young women that engineering, technology, and motorsports aren’t just boys’ clubs.

EARLY SUCCESS

Beth Paretta didn’t start in racing—she started in dealership sales, the unglamorous frontlines of the automotive industry where you learn fast whether you can handle the pressure and the egos. From there, she climbed methodically through the business side of cars: a stint at Volkswagen Credit as a business development manager handling wholesale and retail finance for Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, and Lamborghini dealers, then four years as operations manager for Aston Martin the Americas.

But the real break came in 2011 when she was recruited by Ralph Gilles and Sergio Marchionne to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. There, she became the director of marketing and operations for SRT (Street and Racing Technology) and motorsports—the first woman to hold such a position for a major automotive manufacturer. Suddenly, she wasn’t just watching racing from the outside; she was inside the machine, managing FCA’s factory programs across NASCAR, Trans-Am, and IMSA.

And she didn’t just manage—she won. Under her watch, FCA teams racked up three national championships: the IMSA GTLM Championship with the factory Viper team, a Pro Trans Am TA2 championship, and NASCAR Xfinity and Monster Energy Cup Championships for Dodge with Team Penske. Not bad for someone who never turned a wheel in competition herself.

But even as she notched wins and built a reputation as a sharp operator in a male-dominated field, Paretta had a bigger idea brewing. In 2015, she launched Grace Autosport, a professional race team composed entirely of women, paired with a STEM education initiative aimed at girls. It was audacious, idealistic, and exactly the kind of move that makes people either love you or doubt you—sometimes both at once.

Then came the conversation that changed everything. “Someone asked me about a women’s team for the Indy 500,” she recalled in a 2022 interview with Performance Racing Industry. “Since it could be a one-off, I thought, ‘Why not figure out how I can make this work?’ So I left Fiat Chrysler.” Just like that, she walked away from the security of a corporate gig to chase something that had never been done before.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2011: Became the first female director of a performance brand and motorsport division for an automotive company at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
• 2011–2015: Led FCA motorsports programs to three national championships—IMSA GTLM Championship, Pro Trans Am TA2 championship, and NASCAR Xfinity and Monster Energy Cup Championships for Dodge with Team Penske.
• 2015: Founded Grace Autosport, a professional all-women race team with an integrated STEM education initiative for girls.
• 2021: Founded Paretta Autosport and fielded the first woman-owned, woman-forward team in INDYCAR and Indianapolis 500 history, with a roster approximately 70% female including driver Simona de Silvestro.
• 2021: Qualified for the Indianapolis 500 (though mechanical issues relegated the team to 33rd on the grid despite stronger practice performance); race ended early due to brake problems.
• Named one of AutoWeek magazine’s “Secret People” who will change the car world.
• Recognized as a “Game Changer” by Sports Business Journal for her work with Grace Autosport.
• Appointed to the board of directors of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

INSPIRATIONS

Paretta has been surprisingly quiet about her personal heroes and influences, though she’s dropped hints over the years. In a rapid-fire Q&A on a Siemens podcast, she mentioned a favorite all-time Indy driver—though the name itself didn’t make it into the transcript. What’s clear is that her inspiration comes less from individual drivers and more from the sport itself, that “weirdly soothing” spectacle she’s been watching since she was five. At a basic level, she’s said, “I still find that.”

REPUTATION

In an industry not exactly known for welcoming women with open arms, Beth Paretta has earned a reputation as a trailblazer who leads by example rather than by lecturing. She’s respected not just for breaking barriers, but for doing it with competence, strategy, and a refusal to play small. Performance Racing Industry called her a trailblazer; Urban Income dubbed her “a personal hero” who “claimed space for women” in motorsports.

She’s also got serious backing where it counts. Roger Penske, the racing legend who doesn’t suffer fools, has known Paretta for years and personally encouraged her to skip the smaller series and go straight for an INDYCAR entry. That kind of endorsement doesn’t come lightly.

Her real achievement, though, might be the quiet one: inspiring young girls to watch racing and see themselves in it. “Young girls now feel they have someone to ‘root for,'” she told Urban Income. “The true impact will be seen in the years and decades to come.” She’s not just racing—she’s changing who gets to dream about racing.

And she’s done it without scandal, without drama, and without burning bridges—a rarity in motorsports. The media coverage has been overwhelmingly positive, focusing on her barrier-breaking work and her commitment to diversity and STEM education. No controversies, no feuds, just steady, strategic progress.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of the most recent reports, Paretta remains CEO and Team Principal of Paretta Autosport, continuing to push for visibility and opportunity for women in INDYCAR. Back in 2015, she voiced hopes for an all-women team competing in either IMSA or the Indy 500—a vision she’s inched closer to with each passing season. Specific plans for 2025 and beyond haven’t been publicly detailed, but given her track record, it’s safe to say she’s not slowing down. Beth Paretta didn’t leave the comfort of a corporate job to play it safe—she left to build something that lasts.

References:

Columbia University School of Professional Studies Profile
Performance Racing Industry Interview, October 2022
The Henry Ford Blog Interview, 2018
Urban Income Interview
Siemens Podcast Transcript
BigSpeak Speaker Bio